Just in case
by Hyvanna
Summary: Jeb enjoys working in his lava tubes. He knows things around him is just not right, a true mystery. All too soon his hobby turned into a need. Jump inside Jeb's head, a few years before Host.


**The Host is Mrs. Stephenie Meyer's baby. I'm just having a bit-O-fun in her wonderful world. I own nothing. I want to thank Alkyon for helping me see some things that I needed to add and things I could keep. _Big_ C_yber Hugs Alkyon! _Please check out Alkyon's Ian and Wanda stories, if you haven't yet, drop_ everything_ and do so. (**_can find them in my fave list_**) Enjoy!**

**~~OO~~ Just In Case ~~OO~~**

"No charge. Is it my birthday?" I looked down at my supplies I was taking into the desert, then back up to the clerk with the weird smiling face. Creepy. He scanned the bar codes, but no charge. Too strange.

"I do not know Sir. May I help you out with these things?" He gestured his hands at my supplies like a T.V. add, cheesy smile and all. I need to get out of here, something just isn't right with him.

I shook my head barked a laugh putting my unneeded wallet back into my pocket. All this free. Unheard of. What is he up to? "I think I can handle this stuff." I lifted the pickaxe, shovels and sledgehammer then slid some solar-powered lanterns on the handles. The clerk flinched when I turned back, holding them over my shoulder with a _'see I'm not that old and weak.'_ smile. "I'll come back in for the rest." With my free hand, I reached for a box of beef jerky, flipping it on to my pile for the clerk to _"ring up"_. A treat I couldn't afford if I had to pay for all this.

"Let me help you Sir." A stock boy from the back walked forward picking up the rest of my things.

"Suit yourself kid." As he bent I noticed a scar on his neck. The same kind, I seen when the clerk turned to answer the phone. Interesting.

I can't put my finger on when I first seen one of these scars. Now that I think about it, I've seen this scar on a few other people in shops around this small desert town, guess that would be around the time I first noticed a change in the people. Sure sure I don't really know anyone. I'm not much of a people person, more of a loner. Practical man. I just never fit in I guess you could say, but I know a few people. Or I did.

I may not know a lot of stuff either but I know one thing, their change feels wrong to me. I'm beginnin' to think it all has something to do with them scars. But what, that's the million dollar question. I've watched people become nice, well nicer. I mean there is nothing wrong with nice, but now, nice can turn into creepy nice. This town has its share of creepy nice these days.

Of course my family thinks I'm a complete nut, except for my sister Maggie and brother Guy. My brother, Trev however, calls me 'Crazy fool' every time I try to tell him and his family something big is about to happen and we need to get prepared. Maybe that is because I don't know what the something is. But it is something, that is why I keep trying to warn my family, tell them what I think or ask if they have noticed anything odd. How can they not see people acting like people but it is not who they are. I even drawled a map for each family member. Sure it does not lead to the tunnels I found, but they would pass by a few times and I will be on watch out if any of them wanted to help, or needed help. Not that I would tell them that, just in case someone I don't want to find the tunnels tries to use the maps. Brainwashing or mind control now that is some powerful stuff, who knows what this something is. Tricks, just in case is better. Safer.

"Where would you like all this set?" The stock boy pulled me out of my thoughts.

"In the cab kid." I planted a smile on my face at his over eager smiling face. "Wait, I'll take those." I took the four jugs of bleach, well I can't say I bought since the clerk didn't charge for them, out of his arms before he could put them in the seat. "I'll just be in the restroom." I took the jugs with me pouring out the bleach, not rinsing the jugs out just filling them with water. I do it every time I go to work some more on my project. Keeps nasty stuff from growing in the water and I always have water just in case the truck breaks down or I need to escape into the desert on foot.

"Safe travels Sir." The kid waved smiled then turned back into the store.

"Thanks kid." I hollered back as I took off. "For not turning me into a puppet." I added when I was out of ear shot.

I drove out to my spot, where I had nearly lost my life in the seventy. It looks like a jumbled pile of large rocks unless you are standing an inch or so from it. One of it's best qualities. I unloaded my things, all but the bleach jugs of water, then drove my truck to where I usually stash it. If the something big is goin' down the truck is only goin' ta be a big blinkin' beacon out in the open.

I breathed a sigh of relief once I was past the small entrance. _Home_. I never felt at home in my own house. Sure there is TV, air conditioning, refrigerator, softness, plus all the hidden areas filled with supplies. There is just something about being here swinging my axe, getting dirty and sweaty to make a man feel like a man. Sure I could do manly jobs like in lumber yards, steel factories, oil rigs and places like that. Sure I felt like a man working, and paying for things, but this is different. I am creating something, not destroying the land. I'm adding my own touch to it, a volcano formed it, I'm just making a few extra holes. It makes my heart feel good walking around seeing my handy work. I'm building my house. My safe place. I have always felt too exposed, out-of-place in towns, but here, here is nice.

"Now what was I going to do with you?" I stood in the middle of a large open space stroking my beard, looking at the hole in the ceiling. "Oh yes that's right." I imagined myself living down here for many years. "A kitchen, someplace for a hot meal." I looked around for a bit longer thinking about what I would need, and how I could make them out of what I have. "The old rocks, I could make a nice oven and some counters. Yes yes Jeb you are a genius."

I began my work of packing the rocks from down one tunnel, in the processes cleaning out a few smaller but nice size tunnels. Storage or some sleeping areas. My back hurt, my muscles throbbed and sweat poured from every pore of my body. "Well Jeb I think you earned a bath." I stretched my legs, swiveled my back with my hands on my hips, looking at all the rocks I had piled in the large, kitchen cave.

The bath area, past the running boiling river, is the best part of my find from my near death experience. The water always feels nice, may not smell the best but it's drinkable and best part, I chipped it away enough so the water runs over to the area I first ever used as a restroom. _When you gotta go you gotta go_.

I washed up still wearing my cut off blue jean shorts and flannel shirt with the arms cut off. My body still ached so I leaned back letting the water could work its magic on my throbbing muscles. My mind wandered back to best idea I ever had, but it turned into the saddest most tragic moments here. The loss the few people who thought like me.

"Hey Jeb how deep do you think this should be?" Berry asked while throwing some chunks of rocks out of the water into a pile. Him and Jim have been taking turns with the pickaxe all week. Berry working on the pool and Jim working on making the stream flow out the bottom to the latrine better than I had first chipped.

"At least up to your chest on one side, and don't forget to make it shallow out." I hollered back over the rushing hissing of the boiling river. We where close but still closer to the river while Tom and I held my tall homemade ladder up for Brenda to adjust the mirrors.

That's when it happened.

Some rock dust showered down, as it always does, but this time it made Tom sneeze. Not just a sneeze, a whole body rocking sneeze. He snapped a rung jarring the whole latter. We were soaked in sweat do to the boiling water. He lost grip of the latter for just a second, but that's all it took. Brenda screamed locking her legs around the top few rungs of the latter while clutching at the mirrored holes, but the latter was too off-balance, tipping straight over the boiling river. She fell screaming, a blood-curdling scream, one that will forever be burned in my memory, her arms and legs flailing helplessly, then with a horrible thump, splash and hissing the river claimed her. At the same moment as Brenda fell, Tom, not thinking tried to reach out and grab her, getting hit in the face with one of her feet as she fell. Berry and Jim ran out, as Tom fell forward, both grasped at his feet but the edge gave way faster than I could blink. I was frozen crouched down reaching out for my friends, a weak squeak is all that came out of my opened mouth, everything happened within seconds. I couldn't move from that spot for the longest time. Days. They where more than friends, we had become a family down here, working toward one goal, each of them had theories and stories and thoughts they shared with me. Gone.

The water touching my lips, as I slipped down farther in the pool, pulled me out of my terrible memory. After my bath I stopped by the boiling river taking a silent moment for my fallen family. I'll remember and mourn them forever. Crazy nuts to the rest of the world. My brothers and sister of the mind.

I returned to my kitchen area sitting down on a large pile of rocks, eating some beef jerky and drinking a bottle of water, while placing the counters and oven in my mind. When I finished eating I sprawled out on a mat, falling to sleep still thinking about everything, plans, digging, lifting, stacking... happy faces, scars.

I woke up not feeling rested but I couldn't sleep so I started on my kitchen, the strategic stacking of the rocks, chipping some to make a better fit.

I'm not sure how long it took, to me time means nothing, I eat when I was hungry, sleep on one of the small mats when I get tired. While I work I'm never bored I always have more plans for other spaces down here, most of the heavy lifting and hard-core digging is done.

"Woo doggies Jeb nice work. Well thank you Jeb. How about tomorrow we get started on a garden area. Yes that would come in handy, growing things just in case, when we are done, there is no world up above." I was almost giddy with the thought of the gardens growing.

Before the tragic river cave latrine building started, we had spent time turning the soil making large deep dark squares of healthy soil, using fertilizer we made of old food, turning it with the soil. We took even longer getting all the mirrors placed just right so the sun could shine in.

Before the sun came up I started my work in the blue light of the lanterns. "Just need to make a few more adjustment." I grabbed my latter, took a hand pickaxe and started chipping away at some of the holes that gave me the idea for a garden area in the first place, just the lower holes that I could lean the ladder against the wall to get to. Hope the ones up higher don't need cleanin' or fixin' till a plan comes to mind.

I looked over my handy work, in the glow of the lantern the ceiling of this large tunnel looks like a large wasps nest, it distracted me making me think of what was going on in the world above me. Bugs. They all are nice, but they seem the same like bugs. Drones in a wasp's nest. "That's it!" I nearly toppled the ladder over. "Alien bugs are taking over." I slid down the ladder getting a splinter in doing so. "Ouch!" I ran out of the cave pulling the splinter out, heading for my truck. "Maybe I can make a few more trips for things before they take over completely." My heart started beating out of my chest, wanting to get back to the stores needing to get back to the stores, needing things to complete the tunnels. Now.

First stop the sporting good store. I have and can make bullets for my rifle but I wanted as many as I could buy. Just in case.

I stood outside my favorite shop in town, or at least it use to be. I only see clothes, no guns, bullets, bows and arrows, bats, golf clubs, nothing just clothes. I spotted Old Man Edgar talking and smiling to a set of over happy people holding up some clothes. "Wear them in comfort." Edgar almost _sang_ he even _bowed his head_ before he turned away from them. I backed out of the shop dang near fell over my own feet getting back to my truck. Edgar was always grouchy, his bear attack scars on his face are gone. It is Edgar but it can't be Edgar. The bugs got him. _Edgar_ of all people what chances do _I_ have.

I slipped in after the shops closed filling up a large box with nothing but seed packets and onion bulbs for the gardens. Going back in for as much flour, salt, jarred and canned goods as I could carry. From Edgar's I did get some bed rolls, pillows, blankets and sheets, those I stuffed between the jarred breakable things, using straps to keep it all from flying away. I even picked up some old crates, doors and just odd object laying on the side of houses. I collected what I could find and fit into my truck, whether I knew what I would do with it or not I was takin' it. I will find a use for things like that later.

I had a few more places I needed to go.

"Holy Crap!" If I wasn't one hounded percent sure about the alien bugs theory, well I am now. I nearly wrapped my truck around a phone poll passing the airport on the way to my sister's house. I expected to see airplanes or jets but no these are anything but, they took off straight up, landed straight down even faster than helicopters do and with less noise then the jets we have today that does that. I stomped on the gas. I need to tell my family. If I still have a family.

Meggie and her family were gone, hopefully to one of her safe houses. I redrew my directions while trying to tell my family members, the ones that wasn't acting weird that is, what I've seen, but each family member hurried me out the door, thinking I went completely bonkers.

I tried to make my brother hear me out. Even he had to see something is wrong when Linda's mom of all people wanted them to come for a visit. Trev even started yelling at me about watching too much _X-files_ and _Twilight Zone_, even throw a hand full of my old books at me, I had given my niece and nephew. He wanted me to leave but I couldn't, seeing my family's innocent faces so clueless to what is goin' on. While, Trev was still ordering me out of the house, I seen the picture of our old family ranch, I nearly scratched my map through the book with the pictures as a clue. The children where scared watching their father and I fight. I pulled my niece into a hug, whispering that, I have a save place for them, begging her, not to let them get her, telling her to follow the lines, start at _the beginning. _That was my clue to her. The beginning, _the Stryder's _beginning, but I couldn't say that, she has to riddle it out just in case. Knowing it was no use, I had lost the battle of words with my brother, I looked right at my niece once more, "Don't forget, start at the _Beginning,_ I even stressed the word, as Trev roughly pushed me out their front door.

I left clutching my books, more frustrated than angry. I couldn't blame him who would believe an aging man who lived for weird stuff then goes off into the desert for months and years at a time only to come back smelly, filthy and yammering about aliens bugs. But that didn't stop me from trying. I drove slowly away just in case they would come running after my truck to join me, but they didn't.

I passed a bunch of police cars all their lights on. Maybe the police has some of these aliens detained figured out they don't belong and the government experiments will start. Some one has to find out what the heck is goin' on. I slowed but wished I didn't. The officers stood in a half circle pointing guns to what looked like a family, a not happy family. The man stood with his arm in front of his wife that held their what looked to be pr-teen son to her side. The odd thing was, the eyes of all the officers that stood in the headlights glow, they reflected bright silver back across the road washing over the not happy family. My window was down so I heard them talking.

"Come with us everything will be fine." One of the officers said in a way to nice voice.

"What did we do officer?" The man questioned.

"You where driving at an unsafe speed and when this nice Seeker here pulled you over you spoke in an offensive manner." One officer patted another lightly on the shoulder.

I didn't want to drive off fast to draw their attention to me. Who knows how fast they take over making us creepy smiling puppets. Maybe they shoot it out of them eyes into our necks. That wouldn't make any since they asked that family to come with them. Maybe they do something to them in their ships. At that moment my interest was peeked. I wanted to know, but even worst I need to know.

I drove back toward my house, my safe house, that is what I'm calling the tunnels now. I no longer claim to own that ranch, it can rot to the ground for all I care. It is full of things if anyone on the run is in need of a safe place I guess. I pulled the rifle off the gun rack from behind my head and the flashlight from the glove box, laying them across my lap. Good company.

I got to _my house_ unloaded my finds at the entrance then quickly stashed the truck.

It took me a while to get everything into the first side storage area. I laid the seeds and bulbs to the side for easy finding, while I piled everything on the doors and crates I had picked up. I ate than slept without bathing, I was too tired.

When I woke I began chopping up the already turned soil in the garden areas. The sun shinning off the mirrors told me when day passed into night. I worked till I felt like I was going to drop not caring if it was day or night, again time mattered none to me. My next job was seeding and watering. Each seed I dropped in and covered got a splash of water. I found myself waking up face first in the dirt a few times the sun baking down on me. My body hurt, from being hunched over seeding and watering for at least a week straight.

After I watered my last seed, I checked on my garden areas again then cleaned myself up. While scrubbing off the days of caked on dirt and sweat, I remembered my grandfather's cacti soap recipe. I went out when the sun was low to gather some cacti for it. It burned my hands even tho my hands are so calloused my skin is permanently rough.

I spent my days after the sun started going down watering my gardens and quick trips out for cacti. When the sun was gone and it was dark out I baked a few rough bread rolls, storing them in a plastic box after they cooled. Not so bad with some jam but that wont last. The peanut butter and canned meats is nice too. Keeps me going.

Some how I cut my hand deep with my roll knife nasty jagged cut too. I wrapped my hand with my shirt. "Of all the stupid things to forget Jeb." A First Aid Kit. I looked at my hand for a while debating with myself till I had made up my mind. "You'll have to go out sometime to look for a few things." I grabbed a roll and a few cans of food, I already have water in my truck so I didn't need to fill up any bottles.

I watered my gardens early so when nightfall came I left in search of a First Aid Kit and what ever else I see I can safely snatch and run with.

"Don't go in there." A voice whispered from behind a large metal container freezing me. My brain screamed Seeker at me, remembering the officers on the road. I flashed my flashlight toward where I heard the voice. The man's eyes did not reflect and he did not look happy. Good sign.

"I need a First Aid Kit." I rounded around the metal container next to the man. "I was going to run in then back out, flashing this at them." I patted the butt of my rifle.

He shook his head _no_. "The Seekers will come and hunt for you, take you for insertion, find out any of your secrets." The man was nearly clutching a hold of my arm._ No not my tunnels, my home, never!_ That thought horrified me. "I'm a doctor, or I use to be. I've hidden out traveling around but it's the same everywhere." He started backing away from the hospital into the darkness. "I have a house just over here, abandoned, you can join me I have some medical supplies and a bit of food and water I'm willing to share." The doctor's whispering voice called back to me.

I caught up with him and told him I have a better place. After gathering his things into the truck, I left a jug of water and a box of crackers just in case some one has to hide out here. We headed for home.

He was nervous as I was being on the open road. On our long drive back we talked, he told me about things he'd seen. I was right about the bug, but glad to hear I was wrong about it being transferred like a sting or sickness. While he slept and I drove, I thought of a good spot in the cave for him. _The brightest area_. He could set up a cot in that area, just in case we find more people and they get sick or hurt. No not just in case, I will find more people now that I know what I'm looking for. There has to be more of us out here.

Doc and I became fast friends sharing stories while working together, he never complained even tho I could tell he was not used to hard labor. Living down here will change that. Make a man out of ya. Every so often we even left on raids for things, in hopes to bring back a few more humans, which we did find some, well hidden, but when you're a master of hiding yourself they are easy to find.

With the help of the younger stronger members, we have found, we've opened up more of the lava tubes, even redid the kitchen, made a better way to water the garden areas than bucket and bottle. Doc even started trying to remove the alien from some of the infected they would nab and bring back from a raid, so far no luck but we have to keep on trying. For all the family we have lost, we have to fight back. Some how.

Every day I still pray my family would come join us, if not all then a few. My sister is smart, maybe she will have luck convincing my stubborn brother to come. A man can hope.

**~OO~**

**A/N: S.M. did not tell us how Jeb met Doc/Eustace, so I made up my own, middle of no where between the lava tubs and Trev's (Melanie's dad, Jeb's brother.) This is one of the things Alkyon double checked for me so I could keep it in my story. **

**Alkyon also helped me see, he would have had to have more help, reminding me, he had said "**_happened once_**" which to me, meant it could have happen to a few people at the same time, (on the part of falling into the boiling river.) **

**~~O~~**

**Umm completely by accident. I guess I need to add I don't own _Men in Black. _I only say that because, Old Man Edgar now reminds me of **"_We Got A Bug_"**-**'The Edgar Suit'**. lol but I'm not changing it cause I like the name Edgar :D makes me think of a tough grouchy old man.**


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